


Doggone it

by CaskettCaskett



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 04:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3636702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaskettCaskett/pseuds/CaskettCaskett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castle and Beckett adopt a puppy, season 7</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doggone it

"Are you ready for your birthday surprise?" Beckett asked her husband. Although he was blindfolded he could hear her smiling. She had lured him out of the house this morning with the promise of coffee at a new local cafe, and after that had blindfolded him before driving in what felt like circles for twenty minutes. Without answering, Castle ripped the blindfold off and let out a boyish squeal of joy and hugged her.   
"So if we're at the humane society does that mean..." Castle began, beaming bright enough to make up for the Cloudy day. Beckett grabbed his hand and massaged his palm with her thumb as she turned the car off.  
"Yes babe, we're adopting a dog." Beckett turned, looking into his eyes to gauge how well she did with the gift. Castle's eyes sparkled as he pulled her in for an excited kiss, almost missing her mouth in excitement. They broke apart with a loud smack and exited the car, Castle jumping in place as he waited for Beckett to grab her purse.   
"Come onnnn""Once she was out of the vehicle, Castle sprinted ahead to the doors, his courteous nature overpowered by his excitement. After months of dropping subtle, and not so subtle hints, his wishes had been answered. He burst through the double doors to the front desk,startling the man sitting there who couldn't have been older than Alexis. He then looked to his side and realized that his wife wasn't next to him. He spun around and saw her speed walking through the door, rolling her eyes and shaking her head but wearing a gigantic grin. Her jean jacket almost got caught in the door as she caught up.   
"We have an appointment to look at the dogs, under Castle." She told the man behind the desk who had now regained his composure, although his Sandy short hair was sticking up in an uncontrolled mess, mirroring Castle's unconstrained enthusiasm. Beckett hooked her arm into Castle's and tilted her head in the direction that the worker was leading them. She could almost feel the adrenaline flowing through Castle, or maybe that's because his tried to skip Wizard of Oz style only to be met with Beckett's laughter.   
"I'm so excited! Thank you Kate! What made you change your mind?" He asked, his eyes sit twinkling but with a level of focus and sincerity.  
"Well it is a next step," Beckett said with a smile. They'd been talking about potentially starting a family soon, but Beckett still had reservations, both about potentially making Alexis feel awkward and because she was planning on taking the captain's test. If she excelled at that, Beckett didn't want to think about asking for pregnancy leave immediately after a promotion. These words were still left unsaid, but Castle understood. Not that anything could dampen his mood right now, he was jumping around more than the animals they passed.   
"Here are the dogs that we have right now, ill be right here waiting for your questions." The worker replied, standing aside as he opened a metal door to a chorus of barking. Castle squealed and began running up to cages with Beckett in tow, both of them bending down to greet a cage of a pair pugs, two of which ran up greet them and lick Castle's hands. "Oh look at you guys, hello!" He started talking cute to the little puppies, as Beckett read the sign above them, PENDING ADOPTION was scrawled across their names in red pen.  
"Castle, let's keep looking, these pups are accounted for." Beckett pulled her husband up by the collar of his jacket and pointed at the sign. "Awwwww," he sighed and gave the pugs one last pet before continuing down the room.   
Despite Castle wanting to adopt every single dog in the room, minus the poodle named Victoria which he described as the spitting image of Gates, after an hour they had narrowed down their choices to two dogs, an older yellow lab named Nala and a particularly excitable lab mix puppy. They were at odds because although the new puppies were adorable, the old yellow lab was incredibly sweet and the worker mentioned that she had been there for a while. "This is your birthday gift Rick, i'll let you decide." Kate said, rubbing his shoulder as he sat deep in thought. He tried weighing the pros and cons of each dog, but came up at odds, completely unable to say no to either of them.  
"Kate I just can't pick!" Castle said, throwing his hands in the air. "The little brown puppy is so fun and we can name her whatever we want, but Nala is so nice and I think she would really protect the house..." for the first time since being inside the building, Castle was unhappy. His mouth was tipped on its side and his eyebrows were scrunched up. His facial expression would have been amusing if his eyes didn't look so sad. "Sir," Beckett asked the worker in the same voice she used wherever she made a break in a case. "Do you know if Nala, the older yellow lab, is good with other animals?"   
"Oh yes, actually she came to us when she just had a litter of puppies, I'm pretty sure her heart was broken when the last one was adopted and she was left all alone." The worker replied, his tone was a confusing mix of optimism and sorrow. Beckett smiled and looked over at Castle, her poor husband still distraught with his head in his hands. "Castle," he looked up and put his head on his fist. "Would you be alright if we adopted two dogs today?" Beckett asked, grinning because she knew the question was unnecessary. Castle jumped up, straightened his back and grinned. "Really? Are you sure?" He asked, making sure to flash his best puppy dog eyes just in case Beckett had any doubts. "It's your gift." She said kindly, flashing a smile. Castle regained his energy and was already bouncing up and down as replied " we'll take them both!"  
They loaded the puppy into a crate that Kate had brought and blanketed the back seat with old blankets. Castle brought the puppy out in its carrier, doing his best to confront it'd sounds of distress, or maybe excitement. Beckett ran back in to grab Nala, who the worker said was 8 years old. Yet she ran from the building like a puppy, at the side Beckett who was happily laughing.  
"Tah dah!" Castle shouted, gesturing like Vanna White to the back seat of the car, where he had somehow managed to buckle the kennel in. Beckett laughed. The belt was twisted and probably as extended as possible, but it did work. Technically.   
"You are a cop, we can't disobey the seatbelt law." He continued, giving her a hug and patting Nala on the head as she rubbed against his leg.   
"Think you can get her buckled in?" Beckett asked as Nala continued rubbing against their legs.   
"Absolutely! I'm the animal whisper. Come on Nala!" Castle asked cheerfully as he lead her to the other side of the car. "Now sit." Nala sat on the ground, her tag wagging gleefully. Beckett giggled as Castle groaned. "I meant in the car, come on, in the car..." Castle continued, gesturing at the open door. Nala got up and barked.   
"Animal whisperer huh," Beckett teased, raising her eyebrows. "Here, what if I call her from inside the car?" She suggested, stepping a foot inside and looking at her husband through the backseat opening. "Nala!" Beckett called, patting her thighs. Nala nearly ripped her leash out of Castle's hand, but because he didn't let go he hit his head on the car, his arm extended while Nala rubbed against Beckett.  
"Ooh, sorry babe." Beckett added, biting the inside of her lip to avoid laughter. Castle swore under his breath, and ducked his head into the car while rubbing his forehead.   
"You're making that face Kate," he mumbled, finally dropping the leash with some sass.   
"What face..." Beckett replied, sounding out of breath from suppressing her laugh.   
"Whenever I run into something or do something stupid you make it, are you trying not to laugh?" He questioned, still rubbing his forehead. Beckett broke, finally letting her giggles out.   
"Almost seven years following me and you just now figured that out?!" She Laughed harder, now close to tears. "You're a mystery writer. Oh my god!" Beckett collapsed to her knees, and Nala licked her cheek, which only make her laugh harder.  
"So hurtful, Detective." Castle overdramatized, placing a hand over his heart as though he'd been wounded for added effect. "And on my birthday no less." He pouted. The puppy barked as if in agreement. "I know boy, she's mean," he commented to the puppy, placing his face against the front of the kennel to receive kisses. He chuckled as Beckett regained composure.   
"Castle, you need to move, Nala has to get up onto that seat." She asked politely, getting back to business.   
"But the puppy's kisses are healing my wounds, it's a miracle!" He half yelled, his head still facing the kennel. She rolled her eyes. He got up, and pretended to look upset. She kissed him slowly and softly on the lips.   
"Better?" She asked, looking into his eyes. He smiled " I'm healed!" And backed up to the edge of the back seat. He called Nala and she backed up to him. After a few pats on the seat, she jumped up and sat on it. The couple cheered as Castle buckled her in. But after they closed the doors they heard barking, only to notice that Nala had escaped her belt and was now standing on the floor poking her nose at Beckett's arm as she strapped in. Beckett smiled and pet her head while Castle finished buckling up.   
"Oh hi Nala!" Castle snapped his fingers and redirected his attention. "Sit!" He commanded, and she sat on the floor of the backseat.  
"Just keep an eye on her as I drive us home okay?" Beckett asked, putting the car in reverse.   
"Do you hear that? Home! Are you excited?!" Castle yelled into the car, as he did for the rest of the drive back.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Follow me on tumblr at acecaskettuniverse


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